An Analysis of Language Features in English Advertisements-英语专业毕业论文.docx

AN ANALYSIS OF LANGUAGE FEATURESIN ENGLISH ADVERTISEMENTSThesis Statement:With the rapid increase on advertisements, the fast changes in language usage are also obvious and influential. In this paper, here is presented and analyzed some of these changes in three levels respectively. Though detailed survey of three types of advertisements, the similarities and differences in advertising language features have been summarized and explained in different dimensions.Abstract：This paper presents an analytical study of the language features of English advertisements at lexical, syntactical and discourse levels. Three types of advertisements have been surveyed: namely, daily consumer goods ads, technical equipment ads, service ads. Similarities and differences be concluded and possible reasons will be given in the light of meaning and function of language.This paper will be presented in five parts. The first part is the introduction and the last conclusion. The focus of the paper is laid on the three middle parts,which respectively analyze language features at lexical, syntactical and discourse levels. Figures, tables and graphs will be also provided to make the paper persuasive and understandable. Key Words: Lexical, Syntactic, Discourse, Differences摘要：本文通过对书面英语广告的语言分析总结出广告英语在词汇句法篇章上的语言特点。通过对日用品广告科技设备广告服务业广告的深入细致的定量和定性分析，总结出广告英语在此三类广告中的相同点与不同点，并且根据语言的意义，风格及功能解释广告英语的共性以及广告英语在不同类型广告中的特殊性。 本文共分五个部分，第一部分和第五部分分别为介绍与总结，中间三个部分为本文核心，分别展开广告英语在词汇句法篇章三个层面的分析。数据，表格和图表的提供更具有说服力。关键词: 词汇，句法，篇章, 不同点 An Analysis of Language Features in English Advertisements 1. Introduction We live in a world of advertising. As potential consumers, we are endlessly bombarded with all kinds of products or service information from various media including newspapers, magazines, televisions, radio, posters and Internet, etc. Advertising provides a valuable service to society and its members, because it defines for consumer the meaning and the role of products, services, and institutions. It indicates the difference that exists between brands of products and alters native services, as well as the distinguishing characteristics of companies and institutions. Advertising also tells the consumer what a specific product, brand or service should do when it is used and thus helps him or her to understand and evaluate experience with the products and services that he or she uses. On the other hand, by making people aware of products, services and ideas, advertising promotes sales and profits. Finally, advertising is one of the major forces that are helping improve the standard of living around the world. Combined with all these communicational, marketing and social functions. Advertising becomes indispensable in the modern world. Usually, advertising communicates information in three types: audio, visual, and language. In radio advertisements, music is always accompanied by language; on TV and motion pictures, music and language illustration are mixed with each other. In magazines and newspapers, advertisements are a combination of pictures and language of written information. Although music and pictures can provide some hints, or create a kind of atmosphere, the information about the products is limited. Even worse, it may lead to misunderstanding. Thus, language in a way provides more exact, detailed and dependable information whereas music and pictures only act as a supplementary means in advertising. Advertising language, playing a role of communication and persuasion, has developed its own features.This paper will focus on the language features of English advertisements at lexical, syntactical and discourse levels. It is hoped, by a contrastive study of advertisements on three types of products (daily consumer goods, technical equipment and service), similarities and differences of the three types of advertisements will be summarized and possible reasons will be given in the light of the meaning, and function of language. 2.Lexical Features of English Language in Ads2.1 Classification of Advertising and its Audience Generally speaking, advertisements can be divided into two types: public relation ads and commercial ads. The former tries to advocate reputation for a social group, whose purpose is to leave a favorable impression upon the potential audience. The latter leads to the act of purchasing the products or using the recommended service. Commercial ads are much more presented through mass media for the reason that manufacturers and companies are willing to spend a large sum of money make a certain product known or to boost the image of a certain brand. In some cases, competitors, like Coca-cola and Pepsi, even spare no expense to launch advertising campaigns to win over the market share. Commercial advertising can also be divided according to the target audience into two groups: consumer advertising and business advertising. Most of the ads in the mass media are consumer advertisements. They are typically directed at consumers. By contrast, business advertising tends to be concentrated in specialized business publications, professional journals; trade shows targeting at a certain group of people involved in some business. Since consumer advertising is most accessible to common people, the present study will focus on consumers advertising. The classification of advertising is clearly shown in the following graph:Graph 1 Classification of advertisements Public ads Advertising Commercial ads Service ads Business ads Daily consumer goodsTechnical equipment ads (Jenkins, Frank William, 1985) Daily consumer goods are necessities of daily life, such as food, detergent, hygiene, etc. Technical equipment is technical toys and electric equipment such as camera, vehicle, hi-fi, etc. Service covers bank, insurance, fund, etc. Actually, advertising works effectively some of the time and does not work other times. The single crucial reason that advertising does not work is that in specific instances the information it conveys never reaches the consumer at all, or is judged by the consumer to be redundant, meaningless, or irrelevant. For example, a motorbike advertisement will probably be invisible to housewives on the lookout for new cutlery. Social status and individual interest decide that consumer goods ads are mainly targeting at women while technical equipment ads are largely aiming at men. The amount of shared knowledge between the advertiser and the audience together with the thinking habit of the audience directly influences the advertising language. Since products and audience change in every advertisement in order to achieve high advertising effectiveness, language used differs in different types of advertisements. Thus, this paper discusses not only the similarities of language shared by all types of advertisements but also differences of language used in different kinds of advertisements. 2.2 Similarities at the Lexical Level In order to make the information accessible to audience effectively, the choice of words in advertising is very cautious and skillful. The aim of the advertiser is quite specific. He wishes to capture the attention of the members of a mass audience and by means of impressive words to persuade them to buy a product or behave in a particular way, such as going to Hawaii for all their holiday needs. Both linguistic and psychological aspects are taken into consideration in the choice of words. Sharing the same purpose of advertising to familiarize or remind consumers of the benefits of particular products in the hope of increasing sales, the techniques used at the lexical level by advertisers do not vary markedly. The following points are some prominent similarities. 2.2.1 Frequently-used Verbs G. N. Leech, English linguist, lists 20 most used verbs in his English In Advertising: Linguistic study of Advertising In Great Britain. They are: make, get, give, have, see, buy, come, go, know, keep, look, need, love, use, feel, like, choose, take, start, taste. You will often read such sentences in an advertisement: Buy x. Use it. We make X will give you what you need. You'll love x. Get x. For example: We'll make this quick. (Hertz Car Return) Get great coverage that's so weightless and water-fresh. (ALMAY) All you need is a taste for adventure. (Millstone Coffee) You'll love it even more with the 2.1 mega pixel C-2000 ZOOM. (Olympus Camera) Don't have much of a personality? Buy one. (Honda Motor) All these frequently used verbs are monosyllabic and most of them have Anglo-Saxon origin that is the common core of English vocabulary. Linguistic study shows English native speakers tend to use words of Anglo-Saxon origin, because native words have comparably stable meaning. In advertising, these simple words can win the consumers by their exact, effective expression and a kind of closeness. Etymological studies show that the 20 verbs listed before, except use and taste, which are from ancient French, all are Anglo-Saxon origin. Even the two words use and taste have long become indispensable lexical items in the stock of common core vocabulary of the English people, developing their stable meaning and usage. 2.2.2 Use of Emotive Words A close scrutiny of recent advertisements suggests that the soft-sell technique is now popular. By soft-sell techniques hat favors a more emotive and less directive approach to promote a products, mainly focusing on the building of brand image. As a result, emotive words, most of which are pleasant adjectives, are greatly encouraged to use.Data shows that the most frequently used adjectives are as follows:new, good/better/best, fresh, free, delicious, sure, full, clean, wonderful, special, crisp, real, fine, great, safe, and rich. These adjectives help to build a pleasant picture in readers' minds and manage to create a belief in the potential consumer: If I buy this product or if I choose this service, I will lead a better life. In addition, comparatives and superlatives occur to highlight the advantage of a certain product or service. For example: Nothing comes closer to home. (Vegetable and Chicken Pasta Bake) Think Lysol is the best disinfecting spray. (Disinfecting Spray) The world's coolest CDs aren't made in New York, London or L.A. They are made in my apartment. (Philips CD Recorder) The Compaq Armada family is lighter, with new rounded edges for easier packing. (Compaq) 2.2.3 Usage of Pun and Alteration Pun is an amusing use of a word or phrase that has two meanings which is called Polysemy or of words with the same sound but different meanings which is called Homonymy. Pun, the game of words, will leave a deep impression on readers by its readability, wit, and humor. However, to make a successful and impressive pun is not easy. Except for its own meaning, the word used as a pun is usually closely related to the characteristics of a certain product or the brand name of the product. Such coincidence does not occur often. Here it is presented several classic pun-used advertisements. For example: Give your hair a touch of spring. Ask for more. (More is a famous brand of cigarette) Give your business the sharp edge. (Sharp Corporation)By using pun, advertisements will be easily remembered by the readers. In addition, filled with wit and humor, puns help the advertised product win favor from readers. Alliteration is the use of words that begin with the same sound in order to make a special communicative effect.Usually they are pleasing to ears because of the clever choice of word by the advertiser. In addition, the repetition of the beginning sound emphasizes the meaning the advertisement wants to express. There are some examples:, everything you need for that big bargain basement special. , and vitamin E to leave skin soft and smooth. Treat your weary ghosts and goblins to a warm bowl of chill and 2.2.4 Use of Weasel Words A weasel word is defined as “a word used in order to evade or retreat from a direct or forthright statement or position according to Webster Dictionary (Philip Babcock Gove, 1976). The use of weasel words has become a device in advertising. Weasel words make people hear things that are not being said, accept as truth that have only been implied, and believe things that have only been implied and suggested. Let us take a look under a strong light at several frequently used words. “ Help” Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail helps maintain urinary tract health. It helps control the bacteria in this system. A breakthrough way to help stop wear-out Help finance the video equipment. 23% advertisements of all samples use the word help. These helps can be omitted because they have lost their original meaning: aid, assist. Yet, “help” in advertising English is never redundant. It has magic power in advertisers' eyes. “ Help” is the great qualifier; once the advertiser says it, he can say anything after it. “Help” qualifies everything. The audience has never heard anyone say, “This product will keep you young,” or “This toothpaste will positively prevent cavities for all time.”Obviously, advertisers cannot say anything like that, because there are not any products like that made. But by adding that one little word help, in front, they can use the strongest language possible afterwards. And the most fascinating part of it is that the readers are immune to the word. The readers literally do not hear the word “help”. They only knew what comes after it. That is strong language, and likely to be much more important to the readers than the little word at the front. “Like ” It's like getting on bar free. Cleans like a white tornado. It's like taking a trip to Portugal. “Like” is also a qualifier, and is used in much the same way as help. But it is also a comparative element, with a very specific purpose; advertisers use like to get the audience to stop thinking about something that is bigger than or better or different from the product which are being sold.In other words, they can make the audience believe that the product is more than it is by likening it to something else. Like “help”, “like” does not catch much attention. However by using it, almost anything can be said and promised afterwards. 2.3 Differences at the Lexical Level 2.3.1 Gender Identity in Advertisements While quite a lot of similarities in the choice of words, there are also some delicate differences in the choice of words in the three types of advertisements as classified before:daily consumer goods ads, technical equipment ads, and service ads.Language, as a communicative tool, is not only to impart information, to communicate ideas about a product, but also to convey information about the relationship between the addresser (advertisement)